The National Weather Service has issued a flash-flood watch for river and creeks in the Four Corners, including southeast Utah, the southwest San Juan Mountains and the Upper Dolores, Animas and San Juan rivers through midnight Thursday.
“Until this weekend, this moisture was expected to stay south of us,” said Jeff Colton, a meteorologist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service. “This was a hurricane. Now, it’s just a big area of tropical moisture heading our way.”
Colton said Durango may see from 0.5 to 1 inch of rain in town, while higher elevations are expected to get 1 inch or perhaps as much as 2 inches in some areas.
Small streams and creeks already swollen by heavy rainfall and snow runoff could quickly flow out of banks with additional heavy rainfall, the watch said. The Animas River was running strong at 3,930 cfs Tuesday evening.
“Your soils are also pretty saturated,” Colton said, “so we’re concerned about mud and rockslides as well. This is a 48-hour window where areas may potentially get a lot of moisture.”
The weather service has predicted an 80 percent chance of heavy rains starting Tuesday night and continuing through the day Wednesday in Durango. While it may calm down some in town Wednesday night, Colton expects the heavy rain to continue at higher altitudes in the upper drainages of area rivers well into Thursday night.
A flash-flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to dangerous flooding. Residents should be prepared to take action should a flash-flood warning be issued.
Cortez Journal staff writer Jim Mimiaga contributed to this report.
Flash flood tips
With already-swollen rivers and saturated soils, flash flooding and mud or rockslides are possible until midnight Thursday.
Here are a few safety tips from www.ready.gov/floods about dealing with flash floods:
Visit www.noaa.com/gjt for the latest weather reports.
Be aware of stream, drainage channels, canyons and other areas known to flood suddenly. Don’t camp or park your vehicle along waterways, particularly during these kinds of conditions.
Do not walk through moving water.
Don’t drive through flooded areas. If stuck, leave your vehicle if the water is not moving or is only a few inches deep. If trapped in rapidly moving water, stay in the vehicle, unless water begins coming in the vehicle, then seek safety on its roof.
